2011 Vauxhall Antara Facelift Prices Start Under £20k in the UK

Following the reveal of its Opel counterpart in mainland Europe, Vauxhall has released pricing and specifications on the UK market Antara facelift, which boasts a barely noticeable makeover and a refreshed engine lineup. Prices for the updated SUV now start from £19,995 for the 2.2 CDTi (163PS) Exclusiv front-wheel drive model, which according to Vauxhall, represents a saving of £2,835 over the outgoing base version.

On the outside, styling changes for the 2011 Antara include the updated front grille with the new Griffin logo, enhanced by fog lights finished with chrome bezels on SE models, new 19-inch alloy wheels and modified rear lights.

Inside, the new Antara's cabin features a revised centre console with extra storage and higher-quality materials, in addition to improved instrument graphics and better interior lighting.

The 2011 model's revised Euro-5 compliant engine line-up includes a newly-developed 2.2-liter CDTI turbodiesel in two states of tune with 163HP or 184HP. The 163HP version is available in front-wheel drive with a six-speed manual transmission only or all-wheel drive hooked up to either a manual or six-speed auto gearbox. The more potent 184HP variant also offers a choice of manual or automatic transmissions, and comes with all-wheel drive as standard. All transmissions have been revised to improve efficiency.

The Vauxhall Antara will not be offered in the UK with the revised 170HP 2.4-liter gasoline engine of its Opel sibling.

GM Europe's engineers have also re-worked the SUV's chassis with revised spring and damper settings.

Finally, Vauxhall has improved safety and comfort features with the addition of an electric parking brake, a Hill Assist System as well as a "shift-up" fuel economy indicator on all models.

"At less than £20k, the new Antara is set to be highly competitive in today's SUV market," said Peter Hope, Vauxhall's Marketing Director. "Its lower emissions, higher output diesel engines and refreshed design will offer renewed appeal to both retail and fleet customers."

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2011 Opel Antara Receives Minor Facelift with Renewed Engine Lineup

Following in the footsteps of its sister Chevrolet Captiva model, the Opel / Vauxhall Antara has received a mid-life refresh. It hasn't been around for long so there are no big styling changes for this facelift, just minor tweaks here and there to keep the crossover model looking up to date in a line-up of newer Opel products such as the Meriva, Astra and Insignia.

For the 2011MY, the Antara gets a new front grille with a less prominent logo and redesigned front bumper with new fog lights and lower grille styling, plus modified rear light clusters and optional 19-inch light-metal wheels. Interior changes come in the form of a new center console with extra storage solutions, new materials and added color options.

The most important changes for the Antara are hidden under the hood as Opel has fully re-worked the engine line-up, which is Euro-5 compliant. The latest entry to the range is a newly-developed 2.2-liter CDTI Turbo diesel, which comes with two outputs: a 163hp version that offers 36 hp more than its predecessor model, and a 184 hp variant offering 34 hp more power.

The 163 hp variant is available in front-wheel or all-wheel drive as well as with manual or automatic six-gear transmissions, while the 184 hp also offers a choice of manual or automatic transmissions, and comes with all-wheel drive as standard.

As for the gasoline line-up, the 2.4 liter four-cylinder unit now produces 170hp, or, 30 hp more power and like the diesel variants, it is is available in front-wheel or all-wheel drive and comes as manual or automatic six-gear transmission.

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Opel Antara Available with Front-Wheel Drive: €2,000 Savings Over 4WD

Following in the footsteps of VW and its FWD Tiguan, Opel is now offering front-wheel drive versions of its Antara soft-roader (sold in States as the Saturn Vue) in Europe. Ditching the four-wheel drive hardware saves weight, reduces frictional losses and most importantly for buyers, has significant cost savings. The Antara front-wheel drive is available with Opel's Common Rail Turbo diesel 2.0-liter CDTI with 127HP as well as the 2.4 liter gasoline engine that cranks out 140HP. Regardless of the motor chosen, the price of the front-wheel drive is €2,000 (around $2,600 U.S.) less than Antara's all-wheel version. In Germany, prices for the gasoline Antara FWD start from €25, 970, while the diesel sells for €27,880.

According to Opel, 127 hp-strong 2.0 CDTI common rail diesel versions needs 7.3 liters to travel 100km (32.2 mpg U.S.) and sprints from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 11.5 sec. The 140HP 2.4 liter gasoline variant reaches a speed of 100 km/h from a standstill in 11.6 seconds it and needs 9.3 liters of gas to travel 100km (25.2 mpg U.S.).